UN Security Council urges greater protection for children in armed conflicts

[JURIST] The UN Security Council [official website] on Monday called for renewed efforts [press release] to protect children in areas of armed conflict to build on progress in implementing Resolution 1612 [PDF text], which requires international monitoring of children's rights in seven areas of armed conflict. Though the resolution, adopted unanimously [JURIST report] last July, has already produced results, the Council expressed concern that widespread violations still occur and called for additional efforts to help reintegrate child soldiers into civil society. The Council called on national governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to help monitor the well-being of children in armed conflict and halt violations.

Last year's resolution requires the UN to monitor the recruitment of child soldiers, the murder of children, the sexual abuse of children, abduction, forced displacement and trafficking of children, and attacks against schools and hospitals. In particular, the resolution called for monitors in Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nepal, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan. The first monitoring report, on the situation in DRC, was submitted to the UN in June. UNICEF, meanwhile, released a report [UNICEF materials] Monday saying that 600 children in DRC die daily because of violence, disease and malnutrition. The UN News Centre has more.

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